LUXOR - "Egyptian? My arse."

One of the earliest modern machines emulated by MPU3/4, (if that makes sense), Luxor is a classic trail based game. 3 holds and flasholds work (this was one of the first wave of machines that supported 3 holds) for both reel wins and feature symbols. Feature entry is not via a trail, but by getting 3 feature symbols on the win line. Always leave 2 feature symbols on the winline as opposed to 2 alike win symbols after nudges, it's much more willing to give flasholds for the feature than it is for wins. 

Reels wins can be gambled hi/lo (as is typical of Barcrests, the hi/lo is fair, and it rarely stiffs you on good numbers), a gamble or two will usually offer a feature exchange (higher wins give a better start position on the board). The feature itself is slightly different from the norm due to the "chase" element. You make between 1 and 3 moves on the board, and the "Eye" then gets a chance to chase you. If the Eye catches you, the game is over, unless you have an extra life in reserve. 

The chase idea was incorporated into many machines of this era, but never really caught on. It's not difficult to see why, with the ubiquitous Mystery squares willing and able to kill you off in the usual fashion, having some bastard disembodied eye (or similar tormentor) itching to give you a shafting as well always felt somewhat unfair. There's no denying that the chase introduces an extra element of suspense to the whole experience (especially if you're on a high win or feature and the eye takes 3 successive moves. Will you survive? Will the Eye catch you? Will you be forced to dissolve a beer mat in your pint and stuff it down the coin slot? (not emulated yet)) but ultimately, these things are hard enough work as it is.

Despite the Eye (which is more entertaining than annoying when emulated anyway), Luxor is an agreeable enough machine, with some pleasant touches. At each corner (well, they were corners on the original machine, the trail was a large square around the topglass) of the board is a "Maze" square, which, should you land on it, awards a random maze from the 3 on offer (green, red and blue in ascending order of desirability). If you collect it, you are awarded a series of wins as you step around the maze until the reach the end.

If you manage to reach the final square of the trail you are given a series of maze runs, these can be infuriatingly feeble (adding to a mere £2.60 is one it likes to throw in from time to time) but is more often in the £5-£8 range (still not overly thrilling on a £10 jackpot machine). However, once in a while it can chuck a total mental and go on and on and on and on (and on), to the tune of £30 or £40.

There are a reasonable crop of features to choose from, but don't expect anything too exciting from most of them. Luxor was originally a £6 token jackpot machine, and it shows, with most features reluctant to offer more than £3 (the highest cash prize permitted at the time). The mystery is a little kinder than usual (to compensate for the homicidal Eye) but it will still shaft you when it feels the need to. Keep an eye on the nudgepot, this will sometimes offer enough nudges for a jackpot, but the machine won't inform you of the fact (as was standard in these olde times, learning the reels was a good idea). The King Spins feature is a goody, and is usually worth more than the final multi-maze feature, despite being available earlier on the trail (it's not as much fun though).

I have an irrational fondness for this machine, probably due to the fact that it was located in the shitty little buffet/cafe thing at Manchester's Oxford Road train station for several months in 1994. Train services in the UK being what they are (shite), I wasted many an hour (and many a pound) playing Luxor whilst waiting for my girlfriend's train to arrive. Its cheery Egyptian tunes and the fact that you could play it for a long time without losing an obscene amount of money made those lonely waits (with crappy overpriced sandwiches and coffee) slightly less melancholy. Mind you, it still took a whole pile of cash from me in the end.

In fact, now I actually come to think about it, I hated the fucking thing. Bastard.

August 2001